The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Celebrates JAM!

In April, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM!) with a range of exciting events that feature students, alumni, and special guest artists. For more information, the public can contact 212.229.5896 x4591 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.jazz.newschool.edu. For more information about JAM!, the public can visit www.jalc.org/JazzTrail.

$10 cover and $10 food or drink minimum; no cover for students with valid ID, $5 minimum

For information, contact Sweet Rhythm at 212.255.3626 or visit www.jazz.newschool.edu.

Violinist and New School Jazz alumnus Skye Steele leads a sextet featuring fellow alumni Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet; Mike Effenberger, piano; Mike Savino, bass; Christopther Hoffman, cello; and John Hadfield, drums. This eclectic group of musicians will take American popular songs from their generation (tapping Simon and Garfunkel, Sesame Street and Willy Wonka) and bring them head-on with influences ranging from Turkish Gypsy music, to Afro-Brazilian, to French Impressionism, all with a rigorous modern jazz aesthetic.

NEW SCHOOL JAZZ ENSEMBLE & RECITAL SERIES

Friday, April 7 May 16 (for full schedule, visit www.jazz.newschool.edu)

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, 55 West 13th St., Fifth Floor

FREE

Over 60 FREE student concerts through May 16! Ensemble concerts focus on either the music of a specific composer (from Charlie Parker to Sun Ra) or particular styles (from Blues to Brazilian, acoustic to cutting-edge electronic). Recitals showcase the rising talent and original music from students who are completing their studies at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Visit www.jazz.newschool.edu to view the full schedule.

$10 cover and $10 food or drink minimum; no cover for students with valid ID, $5 minimum

For information, contact Sweet Rhythm at 212.255.3626 or visit www.jazz.newschool.edu.

In April, Monday Nights at Sweet Rhythm presents The Wide World: Traditional Music from Around the Globe and its influence on jazz and contemporary music, featuring up-and-coming Israeli jazz guitarist and New School Jazz student Yotam Silberstein, who just released his debut album, The Arrival, with his award-winning trio.

NEW SCHOOL JAZZ ON WBGO RADIO: New School Contemporary Jazz Improv

Wednesday, April 12, 2:00 p.m.

Listen on WGBO Radio: FM 88.3

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, faculty member and celebrated jazz guitarist Richard Boukas leads the New School Contemporary Jazz Improv, a talented group of up-and-coming artists, in a live performance on WBGO Radio. Featuring Gilad Hekselman, guitar (winner of the 2005 Gibson Montreux International Guitar Competition); Masahiro Yamamoto, alto sax; Luca Stoll, tenor sax; Corey King, trombone; Warren Fields, piano; Chris Tordini, bass; and Jamire Williams, drums. The broadcast will be curated by Martin Mueller, Executive Director of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

NEW SCHOOL JAZZ AT SWEET RHYTHM: WORLD MUSIC ENSEMBLE DIRECTED BY HAREL SHACHAL

As part of its Upstarts! series and in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, , Jazz at Lincoln Center will present JAM! bands featuring a mix of talented students from Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, New School Jazz, New York University, Queens College, and William Patterson College playing a selection of standards and original music.

NEW SCHOOL JAZZ PRESENTS: THE NEW YORK SYMPHONIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY SONIA JACOBSEN

April 19, 8:00 p.m.

The New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 W 12th St.

FREE

Directed by New School Jazz faculty member and alumna Sonia Jacobsen, the 32-piece New York Symphonic Jazz Orchestra performs a variety of works. Established to give opportunities to jazz composers who want to expand their writing beyond the big band, the orchestra includes a classical percussion section and strings, which makes use of a growing number of excellent improvising string performers. The orchestra features an impressive line-up including New School Jazz faculty and alumnus Arun Luthra, saxophone; student Rigdzin Collins, violin; Howard Johnson, baritone sax; Chris Washburne, tuba; Gilad Dobrecky, percussion; and many more. Sponsored in part by a grant form the New York State Council on the Arts.

$10 cover and $10 food or drink minimum; no cover for students with valid ID, $5 minimum

For information, contact Sweet Rhythm at 212.255.3626 or visit www.jazz.newschool.edu.

New School Jazz alumnus and percussionist Scott Kettner's Nation Beat performs eclectic world-groove music with Brazilian Roots. Inspired by the Afro-Brazilian rhythms of maracatu, Chico Science & the Mangue Beat movement of Recife, Brazil, as well as New Orleans second-line funk and jazz, the Brooklyn-based group Nation Beat has created a fresh compelling new sound. In addition to Kettner, Nation Beat features Mike Savino, bass; Skye Steele, violin; Catarina Racha, vocals; Raphael (Rafa) McGregor, guitar; and Eduardo Guedes, percussion.

TRADITIONAL DRUMMING AND DANCE OF WEST AFRICA: FROM THE IVORY COAST TO GHANASaturday, April 29, 7 p.m.The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, 55 West 13th St., Fifth FloorFREE

Visiting scholar royal hartigan presents an evening of music as the culmination of his residency at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. The performance showcases traditional dance, song, and drumming from the Ewe and Akan peoples of West Africa. Guest artist and master drummer Abraham Kobena Adzenyah will lead New School students and faculty through ceremonial, warrior, and recreational styles from the coastal rainforest cultures of Cote D' Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. Distinguished percussionist and ethnomusicologist royal hartigan was awarded a PhD in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, and is currently assistant professor of world music at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music presents a concert by the New School Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The orchestra is led by Bobby Sanabria, a renowned percussionist, composer, arranger, Grammy nominee, and longstanding New School Jazz faculty member. He was recently voted Percussionist of the Year by the readers of DRUM! Magazine.

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music is the musical manifestation of The New School and its legacy. Steeped in progressive tradition while moving forward into new frontiers of sound and experimentation, New School Jazz is a rarity among conservatory music schools. With instructors who are active, professional musicians and the backing of a major university, the school provides its students with the leeway and encouragement to break through artistic barriers, the counsel of veterans in maneuvering through the terrain of the music world, and a solid academic foundation to sustain and enrich their efforts and evolution. For more information, visit www.jazz.newschool.edu.

The New School

Located in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village, The New School is a center of academic excellence where intellectual and artistic freedoms thrive. The 8,800 matriculated students and 15,000 continuing education students who attend the university’s eight schools enjoy a disciplined education supported by small class sizes, superior resources, and renowned working faculty who practice what they teach. Artists, scholars, and students from all walks of life attend its diverse programs and can earn everything from program certificates to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. When The New School was founded in 1919, its mission was to create a place where global peace and justice were more than theoretical ideals. Today, The New School continues that mission and endeavors to foster worthy and just citizens of the world. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu.

For more information the public can contact New School Jazz at 212.229.5896 x4591 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.jazz.newschool.edu.